Lady&#39;s garment.



A. W. POWELL.-

LADYS GARMENT.

- APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, 1909.

Patented Nov. 23,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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A. W. POWELL. LADYS GARMENT. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, 1909.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. ALIVIA WEBSTER POWELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

' LADYS GARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

Application filed August 6,5190%). Serial No. 511,535.

To all whom it may concern:

This improvement is additional to my invention patented January 5, 1909,by United States Letters Patent- No. 9084:96, and, in

common therewith, relates to raincoats and like loose-fitting outergarments such as opera cloaks and dust coats and underskirts worntherewith, and its leading object is to adapt the outer garment when notin use to be carried out of sight in the form of loose drapery on theunderskirt.

The present invention consists in certain novel combinations andarrangements of parts, and in improved garments embodying suchcombinations or either of them, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The improved outer garment, in addition to being adapted, when not wornas a coat, to be folded at about its waist line and detachably fastenedon the underskirt in the form of drapery, is also adapted to hang likean ordinary coat when it is used to support and protect the lower edgeor bottom of the dress over which it is worn.

A sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.

Figure 1 is a front view of the improved outer garment, with one of itsfront edges thrown back to expose the inside; Fig. 2 is a front view ofthe lower portion of both garments, the underskirt being shown mainly indotted lines; Figs. 3 and 4 are face views of the two ends of a stripforming a part of the improved outer garment; Fig. 5 is a front view ofthe underskirt; Fig. 6 is a back view of the upper portion of theunderskirt; Fig. 7 is a side view showing the improved outer garmentdraped upon the underskirt; and Figs. 8 and 9 are respectivelyfragmentary front and back views supplementing Fig. 7.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in all figures.

The improved garments are a loose-fitting outer garment, A, foroccasional use as a raincoat or the like, and an underskirt, B, adaptedfor continuous use as a petticoat.

The material of which the outer garment A is made depends upon itsintended use;

.thin waterproof goods if the garment is a raincoat, any preferredfabric if it is an .opera cloak, or linen or the like if it is a dustcoat. The underskirt B may be of any preferred material except that adeep ruiiie,

2, which ordinarily forms its lower edge,

should preferably be of the same material as the outer garment or facedtherewith.

In construction, both the garments A and B, apart from the improvementshereinafter pointed out, may be and preferably are of the constructionset forth in my previous specification forming part of said LettersPatent No. 908,496. Thus the improved outer garment A includesfastenable shoul- .der openings, 1 and 2, extending from its 'neckopening, 3, through the open extremities, 1 and 5, of its arm portions,and a fastenable front opening, 6, extending from top to bottom, and isprovided with suitable fastenings for said shoulder openings 1 and 2,and said front opening 6, respectively. Instead of the waist line tapewith its attaching devices set forth in said previous specification, theimproved outer garment A is provided at suitable points below its waistwith a pair of rings, a, in front, and a ring, I), at its back assubstitute attaching devices; and instead of the attaching devices atthe lower edge of the outer garmet set forth in said previousspecification, the improved outer garment is provided internally with asupplemental strip, 0, extending downward around the lower portion ofthe same inside from a point about ten or twelve inches above the hem,and permanently attached to the garment at its upper edge. Theline alongwhich. the upper edge of the strip 0 is so attached to the inside of ithe outer garment A is far enough from the lower edge of the latter topermit the garment to be worn with the strip detached from theunderskirt and at the same time concealed by the outer garment as inFig. 1; and when the strip 0 is attached to the underskirt B, the loweredge 1/ of the outer garment may and preferably does extend below thestrip sufiiciently to mask the ruffle 2 as in Fig. 2. This strip, 0, theends of which are shown detached by Figs. 3 and 4c, is providedexternally near its lower edge with a row of attaching devices, 11,which may be and preferably are in the form of snap-fastening members.The strip itself may be of the same material as the body of the outergarment, or of any suitable material; The

improved underskirt B, exposed to view in Figs. 5 and 6, is provided, inplace of the hip-line row of fastening devices set forth in saidprevious specification, with a pair of hooks, a, in front, constructedand arranged to interact with said rings a near the front edges of theouter garment A, and

with a single central hook, Z), at its back, constructed and arranged tointeract with said ring Z) at the back of the outer garment. Theretained features of the improved underskirt B include a knee-line rowof snapfastening attaching devices, 11, constructed and arranged tointeract with said attaching devices 11 of the supplemental strip 0 ofthe outer garment. Assuming that the outer garment A is fully detachedas in Fig. 1, its lower attaching devices 11 are firstengaged with saidattaching devices 11 at the knee line of the underskirt B. It is thendrawn upward around the underskirt B, and its attaching rings a and Z)are engaged with said hooks a and b at the front and back of theunderskirt, as shown in Figs. 7, S and 9. The upper part of the outergarment. A meanwhile falls outward and drapes itself loosely in softfolds around the outside of the lower portion of the garment as in Fig.7, and completes the drapery form of the outer garment represented inthat figure.

In converting the outer garment A from its draped form (Fig. 7) to itseffective form (Fig. 2), the rings a and b are readily detached from thehooks a and I), permitting the outer garment to drop from beneath theouter dress skirt of the wearer, excepting that edge of the strip 0which is detachably fastened to the underskirt B by the attachingdevices 11 and 11. The outer garment is then drawn up around the outerdress skirt and around the body, and secured in place by fastening itsshoulder openings 1 and 2 and its front opening (3. In this conditionthe outer garment conceals and protects all the clothing beneath it, andparticularly supports and protects the bot.- tom of the outerdress-skirt or gown, which in the improved outer garment rests upon thestrip a; the lower edge of the body of the outer garment falling looselydownward as in an ordinary long coat, around the rufiie 2 of theunderskirt, as represented at g in Fig. 2. It will be understood thatthe corner, a, Fig. 2, upturned in that figure is so shown to expose toview portions of the strip 0 and ruflie 2. Should the outer garmentbecome wet the attaching devices 11 and 11 are unfastened and the outergarment A with the strip 0 attached thereto as in Fig. l, is hung up todry, without removing the underskirt B or disarranging any other articleof clothing.

Having thus described said improvement, I claim as my invention anddesire to patent under this specification:

1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore specified, of aloose-fitting raincoat or like outer garment constructed to fold at orabout a waist line and be draped around an underskirt when not in use,having a fastenable front opening extending from top to bottom andfastenable shoulder openings extending from the neck opening through thearms of the garment and provided with a supplemental strip extendingaround the lower portion of the garment inside, attached thereto at theupper edge of the strip and having attaching devices on the outer sideof the strip near its lower edge, and with attaching devices on theinside of the outer garment at or about such waist line, and anunderskirt provided externally at or about a knee line with attachingdevices constructed and arranged to interact with those on said stripand at or about a hip line with attaching devices constructed andarranged to interact with said waist line attaching devices in attachingthe draped outer garment to the underskirt.

2. The combination of a loose-fitting raincoat or like outer garmentconstructed to fold at or about a waist line and be draped around anunderskirt when not in use, and having a fastenable front openingextending from top to bottom and fastenable shoulder openings extendingfrom the neck opening through the arms of the garment, and provided witha supplemental strip extending around the lower portion of the garmentinside, permanently attached thereto at the upper edge of the strip andhaving attaching devices on the outer side of the strip near its loweredge, and with attaching rings inside at front and back, and an underskirt provided externally at or about a knee line with attaching devicesconstructed and arranged to interact with those on said strip and at orabout a hip line with hooks in front and behind constructed and arrangedto interact with said rings in attaching the draped outer garment,substantially as hereinbefore specified.

ALMA VEBSTEB POVELL. lVitnesses GEORGE CASSA, CHA. D. WVADsNoTn.

